SANTA CLARA – (Wire Service Report) – The “Dark Side” was not going to let history repeat itself. Instead, the Seattle Seahawks’ self-nicknamed defense more than returned the favor.

Eleven years after New England beat Seattle in Super Bowl XLIX with a clinching interception in the end zone, the Seahawks forced a pair of fourth-quarter turnovers to send Seattle to a 29-13 win over the Patriots on Sunday in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium.

It is the second Super Bowl title in franchise history — 12 years after the Seahawks beat the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Running back Kenneth Walker III rushed for 135 yards to earn Most Valuable Player honors, Jason Myers connected on all five field-goal attempts and quarterback Sam Darnold threw a touchdown pass while Seattle’s offense didn’t turn the ball over.

But it was the “Dark Side” that provided the real fireworks, setting the tone from the outset and closing the door when New England threatened to serve Seattle a second heartbreaking defeat on the game’s biggest stage.

The Seahawks, who led the NFL in allowing an average of 17.2 points per game during the regular season, held the Patriots to 51 total yards in the first half and off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter. And when New England twice appeared to have generated significant momentum, twice the Seahawks’ defense responded with turnovers.

The final blow came with the Patriots trying to rally from a 22-7 deficit with 4:27 remaining in the game. Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon hit Patriots quarterback Drake Maye on a blitz, popping the ball in the air. It was intercepted by linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, who returned it 45 yards for his first career touchdown, all but cementing the second Super Bowl title in Seahawks history.

The final tally for Seattle’s defense was six sacks, eight tackles for loss, three forced turnovers and the touchdown. Three quarterback hits came courtesy of Witherspoon, while Derick Hall and Byron Murphy II each recorded a pair of sacks.

“They just made a decision that they’re going to play a certain way,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, who also serves as the defensive play-caller, said in accepting the Lombardi Trophy. “They lived up to the ‘Dark Side’ today. It’s going to go down in the history books.

“We love our players, but they made it happen. They made it come to life, and we won the game.”Sam Darnold threw for 202 yards and a touchdown, and while he led the offense to only one touchdown, he also completed Seattle’s three-game playoff run without throwing an interception.

“I have to give a shout out. Our offensive line, our tight ends, our receivers and, of course, the running backs for everything they did tonight. It’s special in the run game,” Darnold said. “But the defense!”

Three of Myers’ field goals came in the first half, when Seattle took a 9-0 lead to the locker room. However, the Seahawks left the Patriots in the game by failing to reach the end zone despite two trips inside the red zone.

With less than 100 yards in total offense and just 12:58 left in the game, the Patriots quickly capitalized in a break in the action when a fan streaked across the field. After the fan was wrestled to the ground and removed by several security personnel, Maye hit Mack Hollins with a 24-yard completion on the next play.

It was the biggest play of the game for New England’s offense to that point, and Maye immediately went back to the well. He hit Hollins again on a perfectly-thrown 35-yard touchdown strike to the left side of the end zone, beating tight coverage from Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen.

The Patriots appeared to have fully switched the momentum when they forced a punt and Maye marched them to their 44-yard line on the ensuing drive with a 16-yard scramble and a 7-yard toss to Kyle Williams. However, he threw an ill-advised pass into coverage on the next play that was intercepted by Seahawks safety Julian Love.

Love returned it to the Patriots’ 38-yard line. Six plays later, Myers connected on his fifth field goal to extend Seattle’s lead to 22-7.

New England quickly moved the ball back into Seattle territory. But that’s when the Seahawks’ defense struck the decisive blow with Nwosu’s touchdown.

“I’d like to have it back,” Maye said. “I’d like to go back to the beginning and redo it. So many plays that decide and change the game. What was it, 19-7 or 22-7, I had the fumble or throw for a touchdown? It comes down to who makes the plays and who doesn’t.”

Maye added that he required a pain-killing injection in his shoulder in order to play, despite saying that the shoulder was fine all week leading up to game day. A Seattle defense that racked up 11 quarterback hits and forced three turnovers certainly didn’t help.

“The plan was to get to Maye. Disrupt him,” Nwosu said. “We knew — he was their whole team. He was the MVP runner-up, could’ve been MVP. We knew if we get to him, their game plan was nothing.”Patriots rookie left tackle Will Campbell was charged with 16 pressures allowed, per NFL Next Gen Stats, a single-game high for any player this season, including the regular season.

“We can sit here and try to put it on one guy,” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said. “You’ll be disappointed. That’ll never happen. It starts with us. The coaching staff making sure that we’re doing our part and, obviously, we’ve got to be able to protect. And we do protect we have to progress through, get guys open, help the quarterback.”

New England’s initial first down of the second half didn’t come until Seattle was flagged for defensive holding with 1:23 left in the third quarter. It was also the Seahawks’ first penalty of the game.

The post See You on “The Dark Side” appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

QUICK CAPSULE: ALL THE FACTS 

Records: New England (17-3) at Seattle (16-3)

TV: Sunday, 6:30 p.m., NBC

Betting Hero odds: Seahawks by 4.5, moved to 5.0 on Sunday morning.

Last meeting: Seattle beat New England 23-20 in overtime on Sept. 15, 2024

Last game: The Seahawks beat the Rams 31-27 in the NFC championship game. New England beat Denver 10-7 in the AFC championship game.

Patriots offense: overall (3), rush (6), pass (4), scoring (2)

Patriots defense: overall (8), rush (5), pass (9), scoring (4)

Seahawks offense: overall (T-7), rush (T-10), pass (8), scoring (5)

Seahawks defense: overall (6), rush (3), pass (10), scoring (1)

Turnover differential: Patriots plus-3; Seahawks minus-3

PATS to WATCH: QB Drake Maye. In his second season, Maye has thrived working for the first time with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Maye is the fourth quarterback since 2000 to win each of his first three career playoff starts, joining Tom Brady (won first 10), Joe Burrow (three) and Jake Delhomme (three). Maye is also the first quarterback in history to win three games against top five defenses in a single playoffs — the Chargers (No. 5), Texans (No. 1) and Broncos (No. 2).

SEABIRDS to WATCH: RB Kenneth Walker III. The fourth-year running back has been on a roll since Zach Charbonnet was injured. In the playoffs, Walker has averaged 4.7 yards per carry, and has 256 yards of total offense with four touchdowns rushing. Walker will have to work for his yards against New England’s run defense, but he’s been able to rise to the occasion in the playoffs.

MATCH-UPS: QB Sam Darnold against the Patriots secondary. While Darnold has played through an oblique injury the past two games, he impressed during the win against the Rams. Darnold completed 25 of 36 passes for 346 yards with three touchdowns in the NFC title game. He will have his work cut out against a Patriots defense that allowed the ninth-fewest passing yards per game in the regular season, as well as the fourth-fewest points per game.

INJURIES: Seahawks: Left tackle Charles Cross, who has been limited because of multiple injuries since mid-December, was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday with a foot injury. Darnold was limited because of his oblique injury. Safety Nick Emmanwori, who broke up three passes in the NFC championship game, injured his ankle during Wednesday’s practice. Emmanwori said Thursday that he expects to play in the game. He was a full participant on Friday. FB Robbie Ouzts is listed as questionable for the game. Patriots: After being limited in one practice with a right shoulder issue during the Super Bowl bye week, Maye returned to full participation on Wednesday. … LB Robert Spillane, who injured his ankle in the AFC championship game, is questionable along with DL Joshua Farmer (hamstring), DE Harold Landry (knee)..

CROSS CONFERENCE SERIES RESULTS: The Seahawks have won three in a row against the Patriots, but New England holds ultimate bragging rights with its 28-24 win against Seattle in Super Bowl 49. Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler intercepted Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson with 20 seconds remaining in the game. Each of the past six games between these two teams has been decided by seven or fewer points. While the Seahawks were still in the AFC, they won five games in a row against the Patriots from 1989-1993. New England won the first three games in this series, including a 31-0 shutout Oct. 9, 1977.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: The Patriots are making their 12th Super Bowl appearance. They are 6-5 in their previous 11. … With a win Sunday, the Patriots will break a tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most Super Bowl wins in NFL history. … With a victory, New England would also join the 1981 San Francisco 49ers, the 1999 St. Louis Rams, the 2001 Patriots, the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles and the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the only teams to follow a losing record with a Super Bowl victory. … The Patriots are the sixth team to have reached a Super Bowl after winning five or fewer games the previous season. The Rams and Patriots were the only teams to win the Super Bowl from that group. … The Patriots were 9-0 on the road this season. They are the first team in NFL history to play at least nine games on the road and win them all. … DT Milton Williams will play in his second consecutive Super Bowl. He won a ring with the Eagles last season. … Patriots rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson led the NFL with four TD runs of 50-plus yards (52, 55, 65 and 69) this season. It tied the league record for the most in a season by a rookie joining Saquon Barkley (2018) and Lenny Moore (1956). … CB Marcus Jones returned an interception for a touchdown in the divisional round against the Texans. With another, he will join Asante Samuel as the only Patriots player with two in a single postseason. He’d also join Ty Law as the second Patriots player with a pick-6 in a Super Bowl. … CB Carlton Davis III had two INTs in the divisional round against Houston. With a third on Sunday he would join Rodney Harrison, Ty Law and Fred Marion as the only Patriots players with at least three in a single postseason. … Seattle earned its first division title since 2020, and 12th in franchise history. … The Seahawks have 14 regular-season wins for the first time in franchise history. The Seahawks previous franchise record for wins in a season was 13, which happened in the 2013 and 2005 seasons. Seattle won the Super Bowl after the 2013 season. Seattle went 10-7 last season and hasn’t had a losing season since 2021 under Pete Carroll. … The Seahawks had five players selected to the 2025 All-Pro team, matching a franchise record, with WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba earning first-team honors and DT Leonard Williams, CB Devon Witherspoon, LB Ernest Jones IV, and P Michael Dickson making the second team. … Smith-Njigba, who led the NFL in receiving yards this season, has also had 100 or more catches in consecutive seasons. He had 119 catches in the 2025 season. … Seahawks TE A.J. Barner has set single-season career highs in receptions (52), yards (519) and touchdowns (six). … Ernest Jones IV had five interceptions this season for Seattle, tied for second most in the NFL. Jones also had one in Seattle’s divisional round win over the 49ers. … Kenneth Walker III tied Shaun Alexander’s record for TD runs in a playoff game with three in Seattle’s divisional-round victory over the San Francisco 49ers. … Sam Darnold had his most yards passing in a game of the season when completing 25 of 36 passes for 346 yards against the Rams in the NFC championship game.

The post Super Bowl LX – Preview appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

By TERRY LYONS, Editor in Chief

BOSTON – Oh, the glory. The Winter Olympic Games colliding with the Super Bowl. NHL players are back in the ice hockey tournament and the New England Patriots are playing in their first Super Bowl since 2019, which seems like forever and a day ago if you have to turn the calendar back to the Year 2000.

Here’s a quick look at the Patriots’ Super Bowl appearances with a translation from Roman Numerals to the more modern Hindu-Arabic numbers we use these days:

Tom Brady (file photo)

New England Patriots Super Bowl Appearances:

Super Bowl 20: Chicago Bears 46, New England Patriots 10

Super Bowl 31: Green Bay Packers 35, New England Patriots 21

Super Bowl 36: New England Patriots 20, St. Louis Rams 17

Super Bowl 38: New England Patriots 32, Carolina Panthers 29

Super Bowl 39: New England Patriots 24, Philadelphia Eagles 21

Super Bowl 42: New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14

Super Bowl 46: New York Giants 21, New England Patriots 17

Super Bowl 49: New England Patriots 28, Seattle Seahawks 24

Super Bowl 51: New England Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28

Super Bowl 52: Philadelphia Eagles 41, New England Patriots 33

Super Bowl 53: New England Patriots 13, Los Angeles Rams 3

Every Super Bowl (link)

SUPER: The theme of this week’s notebook is to enjoy some reminiscing about Super Bowls of the past. This year marks Super Bowl LX and it dates those of us who can remember Super Bowl I (Kansas City vs Green Bay in Los Angeles). Super Bowl I wasn’t even in the lexicon of sports fans before Super Bowl I, as the term was coined by Lamar Hunt, the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, in 1966. He suggested the name during a meeting while trying to decide on a title for the championship between the NFL and AFL.

The story goes that Super Bowl I wasn’t sold out in the massive Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum which was commissioned in 1921 and opened in 1923. The game was played January 15, 1967 (I had just turned seven years old).

The LA Coliseum is enormous (77,500), and over the years with the LA Rams and then the LA Raiders playing in the venue, it caused some issues for the NFL as it was, indeed, difficult to sell out and thus the NFL TV blackout rules might kick-in to black out the home Los Angeles (No. 2 TV market) and spoil TV ratings.

My memories were looking at what seemed to be an invincible Green Bay Packers team and thinking the Kansas City Chiefs were going to get clobbered in this first great match-up between the National Football League (NFC) and the rival American Football League (AFC). My premonitions were correct and KC got smoked by the score of 35-10. Green Bay QB Bart Starr was the Most Valuable Player as he would be in Super Bowl II at the Orange Bowl in Miami. That game featured the Oakland Raiders who fell 33-14 to the Pack, a slight improvement. I can remember the great Vince Lombardi stalking the sidelines, classically dressed in his overcoat and stoic.

We (meaning my family and most of the kids in my neighborhood) were AFL fans, as the New York Jets played at Shea Stadium, which was closer to our homes. The rival New York Giants seemed old and stogy, and they played at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. The love of the Mets was the attraction to the Jets and thus, the dislike of the Yankees and the (football) Giants.

Then, there was a key factor – Joe Willie Namath, a.k.a. “Broadway Joe.” Sure there was Yankees greats Joe DiMaggio (Mr Coffee) and Mickey Mantle and some others, but Joe Namath was the very first marketing machine athlete I can remember, and his charisma of coolness fit in with Walt “Clyde” Frazier of the New York Knickerbockers.

Of course, the Jets upset the Baltimore Colts, with the QB tandem of Earl Morrall and the great Johnny Unitas), 16-7, after Namath made the bold guarantee for the New Yorkers to win the game. I had other sports idols on the Jets. I had an Emerson Boozer sweatshirt, and loved defensive safety Johnny Sample and the host of great receivers, like Don Maynard and George Sauer.

That game cemented my love of the NFL and it lasted until the Jets moved from the aging Shea Stadium to the new Giants Stadium in New Jersey (1984). The trip through the Midtown Tunnel and Lincoln Tunnel to East Rutherford was too much, and our dump, the beat-up, cold and windy Shea Stadium, seemed so great, although imperfect.

With these various memories in mind, I consulted with column contributor Tom Walsh, the organizer and facilitator of the greatest Super Bowl, and then, AFC/NFC Championship parties in the history of the world, as well as being the most trustworthy and loyal friend you could ever ask for.

To Mr Walsh, the following question was posed:

Q: “I know you love the KC Chiefs as you adopted them in the Len Dawson era and rooted for them against the mighty GB Packers. What are your earliest memories of the Super Bowl?”

A: (Surprised me a bit) – “So the first Super Bowl ever was played on my fifth birthday Jan 15, 1967. Truth be told, I don’t remember a thing about that particular “game.” I do, however, remember a lot of fuss going on in the household because we had moved from Kansas City the year prior and my brother Billy ( five years older) was a fan already, so it was a combination of birthday and Super Bowl celebration.

“My first clear memories of a Super Bowl came from Super Bowl IV (January 11, 1970) and at that point in time, I was fully aware of sports. The Mets were coming off of their miracle Mets run (of 1969) and I was beginning to care about and participate in sports. The Chiefs beat the Minnesota Vikings 23-7). It was that moment that did it for me in terms of fandom.”

He was a Chiefs fan for life.

And, that’s how the NFL does it and how the Super Bowl became the highest-rated, most watched, can’t miss worldwide sports event on the planet. World Cup be damned!

The New England Patriots vs Seattle Seahawks game will attempt to break last year’s 127.7 million viewers. That’s to serve up :30 second spots at $8 million or :60s at $16m to $20m. (estimated 2026 prices)

As the ‘70s marched on there were great (better call them super) football teams in the Miami Dolphins (coach Don Shula), the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers – The Steel Curtain. Those high level teams dominated but were highly respected by all football fans.

Another early memory for me was the fact many of the games were somewhat one-sided. It wasn’t until the 1979 Pittsburgh vs. Dallas Super Bowl, won by Pitt (35-31) that I can remember a high scoring affair.

Fast forward to the early ‘90s and we witnessed the Buffalo Bills’ four consecutive bridesmaids era and then later in the decade, the Denver Broncos era.

As the clock struck 2002, it was time for Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the Patriots to ride in with a decade of dominance give or take a few disappointments, a New York Giants miracle or two (ask David Tyree) and ultimately the Patriots chasing Brady down I95 where he won another Super Bowl with former Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski as a sidekick.

Patrick Mahomes and the Walsh Family enjoyed their renaissance and took three Super Bowl titles in the 2020s, while losing title games to Brady’s newfangled Tampa Bay Bucs and the mighty Philadelphia Eagles who can still fly with the best of ‘em.

All the while, event organizers from New Orleans to Miami Gardens to Los Angeles to Las Vegas to Santa Clara have raked in the millions in economic boosts the size of Saturn Five rockets. This week, the NFL has inserted major cash flow from San Francisco to Palo Alto and from San Jose to Santa Clara. There’s nothing like it as the New England and Seattle faithful have traveled heavy and at steep prices.

Face value for a cheap seat is roughly $950 but that same ticket is going for $3,869 on the secondary market as kick-off time draws nearer and nearer. Meanwhile, lower bowl “decent/good” seats are going for $5,007 and as high as $8,000 to $14,000 per seat, depending on how close you like your seat to the 50 yard line.

High-priced tickets go for $40,530 to $44,796 per seat on the secondary market and a luxury suite will set you back $600,000 to $1.8 million. Although ticket prices can fluctuate drastically in the final two days, Super Bowl LX is currently the second-most expensive Super Bowl on record, with an average purchase price of roughly $8,016.

ALL ABOUT TONIGHT: That brings us to game time. How about some predictions and prognostications, with an attempt to avoid the cliches? (Such as protect the ball, limit turnovers, team that has the ball last, pass protection is key, focus, special team play can be the determining factor).

Please keep in mind, after the Joe Namath Jets, my NFL allegiances were usually to root for the favorite teams of friends, so they could enjoy the title. But, while living in New England, it was always fun to watch Tom Brady operate on a weekly basis, orchestrating comeback after comeback, victory after victory, but the arrogance of team owner Bob Kraft always kept me an arms-length away from the team/Gillette Stadium. That said, I have a friend who was BBs right hand man, and I certainly rooted for him to take in a Playoff share. He left the Patriots when BB did.

This year, it’s been very different. I did not expect the Patriots to win five or six games, maybe seven. I did not think QB Drake Maye could turn into a major contender for MVP (Matthew Stafford of the LA Rams edged Maye out) in teh voting, and I did not think Mike Vrabel’s effect on the team would be so amazing, so vibrant and meaningful in his first year as Patriots’ head coach.

Well, damn the torpedos, and full speed ahead.

Let’s take a look.

TL PREDICTIONS: The prediction here is that Vrabel’s defense will step up once again. Just as they held the Los Angles Chargers and Denver Broncos and Houston Texans offenses down, I expect even more from NE’s “D” on Sunday. The neutral home field will be a major advantage, compared to the crazy and hostile setting of Denver. The Patriots’ defense endured and QB Drake Maye did what he had to do to rally, run and score.

Against Seattle, I see a game-long defensive battle. The Patriots, as they’ve done thoughout the late half of the regular season and all of post season, will limit RB Kenneth Walker III to play as though he’s not age III but age LX. Walker’s sidekick, RB Zach “Don’t Call Me ‘Guy’” Charbonnet is out – a huge setback for the Seahawks. Seattle, like the Patriots’ other opponents, will struggle to gain more than 3.4 or 3.5 per offensive play, a factor that will see punt-after-punt-after-punt in the early going.

LOW SCORING: I see a possible 0-0 first quarter score, and maybe a 7-0 or 10-3 halftime.

SECOND HALF ADJUSTMENTS: It will be the second half when Vrabel’s defense can win the game. Look for at least one “points off turnover” score, coming from a forced fumble or mid-field interception. It would not surprise if there’s a “Pick 6” or a score off a muffed punt. The Patriots might produce seven or 10 points from the defensive and special team side of the ball, while holding Seattle QB Sam Darnold to “three and outs” regularly.

CAN NEW ENGLAND RUN VS. SEATTLE D? If New England can establish a decent running game, with RB Rhamondre Stevenson and his sidekick, rookie TreVeyon Henderson, it will open up the passing game for Maye and simultaneously create running opportunities for the MVP-runner-up QB. I can see Maye break a 15-20 yard run, maybe for a TD.

PUTTING THAT ALL TOGETHER: I see a relatively low-scoring game. Certainly, it will be a battle of defensive capabilities in the first half. Will one team have its defense on the field too long? Will fatigue play a factor? Will points be scored off turnovers and just how many turnovers or significant mistakes will be made by the young QBs (of either team) and the stumbling, fumbling RBs?

X-FACTOR: I see New England’s TE Hunter Henry playing a pivitol role in converting those third and long or third and five/six situations. He will be a clutch performer and I haven’t seen that written anywhere else.

IN CONCLUSION … a.k.a. THE VEGAS LINE: I think Las Vegas bookmakers have the wrong team favored. The line came out at New England (+5), then settled at New England (+4.5). … In some other books, the line came out at Seahawks (-3.5) and settled at (-4.5) and its stayed put. … Two Sundays ago, I would’ve placed the line at New England (-2.5). Today, I might call it (- 1.5). … The scoring total is at 45.5 – far too high, unless the defenses score 14 points or more apiece.

I see it more like: New England 17-6 or New England 17-10. Drake Maye runs for one TD, throws for another (Henry) and Maye gets his MVP and his first Super Bowl ring.

Most of the experts disagree and they, of course, are the guys who set the Vegas lines.

The guy I trust the most is Matt Youmans of VSiN and he has it: Patriots 23-20 over Seattle, with Drake Maye as the MVP. In scientific terms, that means he’s on the Patriots and the “Under.”

A factoid to consider: The team that is the better NFL Playoff seed (Seattle a No. 1 and New England a No. 2) is just 2-17-1 (ATS) = (10.5%) in the last 29 Super Bowl games. (Some games had teams with the same playoff seed). And, in the last 24 years, Underdogs own an (18-6) record = 75%. By the way, another slice has Underdogs (14-4) over the last 18 Super Bowls, but those stats doesn’t really matter as this is forward thinking column and past performances have ZERO to do with the outcome of Sunday’s game.

FLIP SIDE: If you’re keen on the Seattle Seahawks and don’t buy any of the logic explained above, you’re probably criticizing New England’s relatively smooth (not easy, but smooth) path to the Super Bowl. (Chargers to Texans to Broncos).

In the wild card round, New England held the Los Angeles Chargers to one second quarter field goal in a low-scoring, 16-3 contest.

While Houston looked great on paper and rode a 10-game winning streak, the fact of the matter was New England’s defense stood up to Texans QB C.J. Stroud and held him down in the Red Zone. Houston led 10-7, but a NE pick six (Marcus Jones) returned for 26 yards, and a Drake Maye to Stefon Diggs 7-yard TD strike made it 21-10 Patriots at the half.

In the AFC Championship game, New England faced a Denver Broncos team without their (more) dynamic QB Bo Nix.

Lady Luck!

SLEEPLESS SEATTLE … can impose a much more dynamic offensive approach, sans No. 2 RB Zach Charbonnet. The combo of much-travelled but underrated QB Sam Darnold to Pro Bowl WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba is dangerous at all times and can take advantage of New England’s one defense weakness – a suspect secondary. The deep ball is not a friend in New England.

Can Vrabel devise his defensive schemes to take Smith-Njigba out of the game, and force Seattle to run? Can the New England secondary step-up and play their best game of the season? – Lots of question marks but the answers will play out in Santa Clara.

Kick-off is 6:30pm ET/3:30pm (Local).

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: What’s a Super Bowl Notebooks without a few of the basic lines? Here’s the basic line and a sampling of alternate wagers/props:

Super Bowl LX

• Seattle (-4.5) over Patriots (Line opened at 5.0 points)
• Over/Under 45.5

Most Rushing Yards

• (Seattle’s) Kenneth Walker III – (-225)
• (NE’s) Rhamondre Stevenson – (+240)
• (NE’s) Drake Maye – (+700)
• (NE’s TreVeyon Henderson – (25/1)
• (Seattle’s) George Holani – (50/1)
• (Seattle’s) Rashid Shaheed – (66/1)

Yards Rushing (Over/Under)

(Seattle’s) Kenneth Walker III

• Over 74.5 yards – (118)
• Under 74.5 yards – (-110)

(New England’s Rhamondre Stevenson

• Over 47.5 – (118)
• Under 47.5 – (110)

(New England’s) TreVeyon Henderson

• Over 37.5 (118)
• Under 37.5 (110)

(New England’s) Drake Maye

• Over 37.5 (115)
• Under 37.5 (115)

Passing Yards

(New England’s) Drake Maye

• Over/Under – 221.5 (115)

(Seattle’s) Sam Darnold

• Over/Under – 229.5 (113)

Longest Rush

• (New England’s) Drake Maye – 13.5 (120)

Photo by Eiliv Aceron on Unsplash

TIDBITES (sic) & (Chicken) NUGGETS: Ahh, the annual Lyons/Martin Super Bowl Menu. It’s not a game time decision, it’s an all day affair.

Breakfast

• Fresh Whole Oranges, peeled and sliced into silver dollar sized bites
• The World’s Greatest pitted Grapes (both red and green), cold and crunchy
• Assorted Cereals, with Almond Milk or 1%
• Fresh Everything Bagels, with Garden Veggie cream cheese, served toasted
• Assorted Berries or Chocolate Chip Pancakes, served with Vermont Maple syrup
• Tropicana Orange Juice, Cranberry Juice Cocktail
• Freshly Brewed Coffee or Bigelow Tea (assorted flavors), served with 1/2 & 1/2

Lunch

• Classic, well done Omaha Steak Cheeseburgers w/ Heinz ketchup and dill pickles
• Crispy tater-Tots
• Diet Cokes

Pre-Game Snacks

• Veggies Crudite – Celery, Carrot sticks, sliced Multi-Color Peppers
• Knorr’s Vegetable Soup Mix dip, sour cream
• Pig in Blankets
• BUFFs’ Chicken Wings (Medium, not too hot)
• Cheeze Sticks (Trader Joe’s)

Game Time

• White Chicken Chili
• Taquitos
• Hint of Lime Chips
• Sam Adams American Light Beer
• Diet Coke
• Wine Spritzers
• Olde Tyme Prezels (Dark and Regular)
• Dry Roasted Planter’s Peanuts
• Chips
• Honoring Super Bowl stars of the past, famous GRONK-a MOLE w chips
• A new dish will be: crispy bacon B.L.Ts with MAYE-O

Half Time

• Clare’s Famous Meatball Subs
• Artichoke Dip with Pita
• Street Corn
• Celery sticks
• Blue Cheese Dressing
• Combinations of Kalamata, Pitted Green, and Castelvetrano Olives, mixed with artichokes, feta, and marinated vegetables (a.k.a. Giardiniera)

Post Game or Anytime

• Breyers Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
• Coffee
• 2019 Silver Oak: Cabernet Sauvignon
• Josh Cellar, 2024: Pinot Grigio

PARTING WORDS & MUSIC: Two guys walk into an English pub near London 250 years from today. They want to toast what used to be The United States of America. “Yeah, they made it 250 years, but then, forget it,” says the older man. “Let’s not talk about that tonight,” says the younger lad. “I want to play some music. The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?”

“The Beatles,” says the older gentlemen.

“The Stones,” says the young lad.

“The Who,” shouts someone from the bar.

Obviously, the argument of the best rock band is endless, and there’s never a right answer.

“What’s your favorite color,” asked the Bridgekeeper in Monty Python’s Holy Grail?

“Red, no Blue.”

Arghhhh.

But if some sports historian two hundred and fifty years from now were to ask anyone, from any corner of the earth, “What was the best halftime act in NFL Super Bowl history?” There would be a chorus.

A chorus of “Prince.”

The stories of the legendary halftime show are endless, and they’ve taken on even more magnificence in the 269 fictitious years since Prince took the stage in the middle of a serious thunder/lightening storm in South Florida for my little story, here.

But, the point being: No one will ever top the halftime act performed by Prince at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

Bruce Springsteen was great. Others were fan-tastic. Some were controversial (Where were you when the term “Wardrobe Malfunction” was coined?

Today, to put the finishing touch on this Super Bowl LX collection of notes and quotes and quips and nuggets, I give you Prince.

Note: You will need to click-through to watch the show on the NFL Youtube channel. That’s the NFL’s rule because it’s their footage. It’s a MUST WATCH.

While We’re Young (Ideas) is a weekly (every weekend) collection of Sports Notes and News written by Terry Lyons. The posting of each notebook harkens back to the days when you’d walk over to the city news stand on Saturday night around 10:00pm to pick-up a copy of the Sunday papers. Inside, just waiting, was a compilation of interesting sports notes, quotes and quips in a column that always sold a few newspapers. Wire Service reports are utilized within the column. And, remember, PGA TOUR Brunch is On Sale.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes – Brought to you by Digital Sports Desk.

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SANTA CLARA – (Wire Service Report) – A Bay-Area Super Bowl week serving up sun and comfortable conditions might offer something else on game day.

Temperatures are forecast to reach 67 degrees around kickoff at 3:30 PT at Levi’s Stadium with wind gusts up to 10 mph before dying down by late in the game.

An earlier chance of storms in the evening has been reduced to almost zero percent by Weather Underground and Accuweather modeling that two days ago indicated a potential thunderstorm during the gametime window.

Timing appears to be working in the NFL’s favor in the first outdoor Super Bowl in the past five years. The previous four were played in climate-control dome settings.

Next year’s Super Bowl is scheduled to move back indoors at SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers.

The league publicly considered the idea of moving the Super Bowl to Presidents Day weekend to offer some a holiday of sorts with many companies, schools and businesses closed on that Monday, what would be the day after the game. But the forecast from Weather Underground reveals the three-day plan might have been a Valentine’s weekend heartbreaker for the NFL with more than 1.5 inches of rain in the forecast next Saturday night (Feb. 14) through Monday afternoon.

– Field Level Media

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SANTA CLARA – (Wire Service Report) – There’s more security than Patriots players around the Santa Clara hotel the team is staying at this week, one of the novel elements of the Super Bowl for New England players and staff making their maiden voyage on this eight-night sleepover.

Every player and coach — from the most identifiable in quarterback Drake Maye and head coach Mike Vrabel to 5-foot-10 face-in-the-crowd rookie wide receiver Efton Chism III — follows the mandate to wear a lanyard around his neck with his plastic 3×4-inch name tag fully displayed for security checks at every exit and entrance of the property. On Monday, for example, Maye had to flash his badge to uniformed officers to exit in the morning, return to the building, enter a meeting room, return to the lobby, exit for practice, return from practice, exit for In-N-Out Burger and return.

Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls with the Patriots as a player, made it a strict point to stress grace and being a polite Patriot when the team receives a request from support staff, security, equipment managers and janitors. It’s his new Patriot Way.

“Those little things that go a long way, do things right, and coach Vrabel is the best at it,” Maye said Thursday at 8 a.m. PT media before the team loaded buses to Stanford University for another full squad practice.

Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels were present when 24-year-old Tom Brady started Super Bowl XXXVI. Vrabel was 26. He started at outside linebacker with Tedy Bruschi and Roman Phifer with a mandate to corral Marshall Faulk and put Kurt Warner on his can to douse the “Greatest Show on Turf.”

Their unique perspective as observers of Brady’s ascension and active participants in the Patriots’ dynasty has been gold for Maye as he advances in the NFL’s ultimate treasure hunt for the Lombardi Trophy.

One example: McDaniels has stressed to Maye the competitive stamina required to play in a Super Bowl. The pace and cadence of daily and even hourly activities the task of winning a Super Bowl requires of the position. Brady did not participate in family events during the week as a matter of course if only briefly interacting with them when the team’s traveling party multiples to include spouses and children on Friday.

Brady and the Patriots beat the Rams, 20-17, riding the quarterback’s arm on the final possession. McDaniels was on a headset but Charlie Weis was offensive coordinator. When the Patriots saw their 17-3 lead dissolve and the game was tied with 1:37 on the clock, coaches discussed briefly playing it safe and going to overtime.

“They let the kid go out and rip it. I remember Drew (Bledsoe) saying (to Brady) ‘Just go out there and sling the ball. Play like you always have,’” McDaniels said. “And he did. Those are the types of situations the best players in football live for. Hopefully we have one of those in us if we need it on Sunday.”

Brady completed his first two passes — to running back J.R. Redmond — and hit him again between two incompletions to get the ball to the Patriots 40. The 23-yard connection to Troy Brown down the left sideline put Adam Vinatieri within range and a quick-hitter to tight end Jermaine Wiggins got him six yards closer to the 48-yard game winner.

McDaniels said he uses Brady on teaching tapes for quarterbacks and Maye has seen plenty of examples of execution in the four- and two-minute offense with No. 12’s play doing the teaching. Without directly comparing Brady and Maye, McDaniels knows there is at least one visible common trait the quarterbacks share.

“He wants to have the last shot. If you play quarterback in the National Football League, that’s probably one of the prerequisites, that you would like to have the ball in your hand at the end,” McDaniels said.

Numbers back up the idea of Maye rising to meet elevated pressure. Against the blitz, he had 16 touchdowns, one interception and a 115.8 passer rating. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald noticed.

“The thing that makes Drake so dangerous is, in addition to the arm talent, the processing and the movement, he’s got a playmaking ability late in, late in, late in plays,” Macdonald said.

Vrabel sees flashes of Brady’s trademark competitiveness. Daily. From trying to be the first and last in the building to pickup basketball and everything in between, Maye has an obvious and trained refuse-to-lose mindset.

“Every 2-on-2 basketball game in the backyard prepared me for this. The joy of it but also the feeling you get of accomplishing beating my older brothers, compete at a high level,” Maye said. “Watching my older brothers (Cole, Beau and Luke), excel in sports wanting the ball at the end of the games. And always being the player that you felt like, knowing that if they play well, they’re going to win the games. That’s the position I’m in now.”

– Field Level Media

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SANTA CLARA – Call it a comeback. And better make it two.

Super Bowl LX sets up as a repeat of two recent NFL championship teams colliding Sunday on the home field of another NFL champion, the San Francisco 49ers.

It’s a repeat of Super Bowl XLIX in February 2015 that swung from a Seattle Seahawks celebration to a confirmation of the New England Patriots’ dynasty when Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson pass at the goal line with 20 seconds left.

“It hasn’t come up one time,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said of the Super Bowl rematch.

Almost everything has changed on both sidelines in the decade since that game. Neither team was even in the playoff field last season.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft called a leadership audible and restored the championship standard in New England, placing three-time Super Bowl champion Mike Vrabel atop the organization pecking order, and the new head coach guided a stunning turnaround in 2025.

Vrabel, a former linebacker under Bill Belichick, has resurrected the franchise and partnered with the second-youngest Super Bowl starting quarterback ever, 23-year-old Drake Maye, to move New England to the doorstep of a league-record seventh Lombardi Trophy.

“The organization has set a standard,” Vrabel said. “The Patriots organization, Robert and Jonathan (Kraft), have set a standard for this organization that this is what the expectation is. We understand that, we embrace that.”

Seattle shifted from Pete Carroll at the end of the 2024 season, and longtime general manager John Schneider restocked in tandem with Macdonald, 38. The second-year coach and defensive-minded mad scientist won 14 games in the 2025 regular season, earning the top seed in the NFC with reclamation project Sam Darnold starring in the vast shadow of Seattle’s sledgehammer defense.

Darnold threw 25 touchdown passes in his first season with the Seahawks. He opposes Drake Maye, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 draft, who produced numbers once expected of another famous Patriots passer with a fully stocked ring finger. Maye finished ahead of Darnold in most passing categories. He had 31 touchdown passes, 4,394 yards and a league-leading 113.5 passer rating with a pair of rookies starting on the left side of a fully revamped offensive line.

Maye has harped on running the ball, and Vrabel continues to preach balance in the long preamble to Super Bowl LX. But numbers could set up in Seattle’s favor.

The Seahawks have a streak of 28 consecutive games without allowing a 100-yard rusher and big plays are a pipe dream — only 15 plays of 20-plus yards — because of the speed and versatility of the back seven and the ability of Macdonald to generate pressure with his front four. They were stingy on first down and excelled on third down, when the crosshairs are largely centered on the pocket.

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PALO ALTO – (Staff, Pro Footbal Writers and Wire Service Report) – New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice as on-field preparations for Super Bowl LX against Seattle shifted gears.

The second-year quarterback, who injured his right shoulder during the AFC championship game, took all of the team’s first-team reps during a 90-minute practice at Stanford Stadium. He had told reporters earlier in the week that he was “feeling good” and that certainly appeared to be the case as the team worked through seven-on-seven and full-squad drills in full shoulder pads.

While the team installed much of its game plan during practices last week in Foxborough, head coach Mike Vrabel said his staff saved several elements of that plan so they would have new information to present to players in meetings and practices here in the Bay Area. This was a suggestion from offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who is coaching in his 10th Super Bowl as a member of the Patriots’ staff.

“No one has more experience than Josh with this, and he felt like that we needed to do something to keep them engaged and stimulated, so they weren’t looking at some things for the second or third time,” Vrabel said.

Vrabel is taking that engagement literally. After practice ended, Vrabel pulled a group of interior defensive linemen aside for extra instruction. Vrabel even got down into a three-point stance to work with defensive tackle Cory Durden on pass rush technique.

“We’re now talking about 36 hours being critical here, before people come in, friends and obligations that come with this game,” Vrabel said.

Team owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft arrived at Stanford with legendary Patriots receiver Julian Edelman. Like McDaniels, those three men are quite familiar with the Super Bowl preparation process, but it’s all new for most of Vrabel’s squad. No Patriot remains on the roster from their last Super Bowl and only five players on the current roster have prior Super Bowl experience.

“We’ve got some things to clean up, and then we’ve got to forge ahead,” Vrabel said. “We want to continue to keep the energy and the enthusiasm, but the execution is going to end up really helping us win the game.”

Maye was listed on the team’s first injury report with the shoulder, but as a full participant. Linebacker Robert Spillane was the only Patriots player who did not participate as he continues to recover from an ankle injury he suffered in the AFC title game in Denver. Linebacker Harold Landry was listed as a limited participant with a knee injury. Other players listed on the injury report were backup offensive lineman Thayer Munford Jr. (limited, knee) and defensive tackle Joshua Farmer (full participant, hamstring.) Farmer remains on the injured reserved list but has been designed to return.

–Pro Football Writers of America

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SAN JOSE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Drake Maye is concern-free as Super Bowl LX approaches. That goes for his throwing arm, too.

The New England Patriots’ second-year quarterback said his tender right shoulder feels fine and there’s no reason for worry entering the Sunday clash with the Seattle Seahawks in Santa Clara.

“I threw a good bit (today),” Maye said Monday during the Super Bowl Opening Night festivities. “I threw as much as I would in a practice, and it felt great.”

In other words, no worries.

“I feel good. I’ll be just fine,” Maye said.

Maye missed practice on Friday, but not due to the shoulder. Coach Mike Vrabel said Maye was out with an illness.

Vrabel said Monday he’s not concerned about Maye’s shoulder.

“We’ll work through these things through the week, just like everybody else does,” Vrabel said. “But we’re confident that the preparation that’s required for each position on our football team will be there by the end of the week, and everybody will be available.”

Sunday will mark the second time Maye has been inside Levi’s Stadium for a Super Bowl.

His dad took him to Super Bowl 50 when Maye’s favorite boyhood team, the Carolina Panthers, lost to the Denver Broncos.

And, yes, there’s a little bit of pinching involved to believe it’s truly his turn.

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SAN JOSE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – It was during a 2019 Monday night game against the New England Patriots that a young Sam Darnold was caught on the telecast telling his coaches on the sideline he was “seeing ghosts.”

It was a comment that haunted Darnold for years.

Of course, it wasn’t that surprising.

The New York Jets, who selected Darnold with the No. 3 overall draft pick a year earlier out of Southern California, were getting pummeled 24-0 en route to losing 33-0. Darnold completed 11 of 32 passes that night for 86 yards and four interceptions and also lost a fumble.

Since then, Darnold played for the Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings before signing with the Seattle Seahawks last March.

On Sunday, Darnold will lead the NFC champion Seahawks into Super Bowl LX against the Patriots in Santa Clara, Calif.

Darnold retraced his unlikely path to the title game Monday at Super Bowl Opening Night.

“I take every experience as its own, no matter what happens,” he said. “I was really blessed to get drafted to the Jets and obviously things didn’t work out the way I wanted to there and then went to the Carolina Panthers, where I made a lot of really great friends and learned some great football as well. Just part of my journey.

“Then went to San Francisco and was able to be a backup there for a great player in Brock Purdy, learned under a great coach in Kyle Shanahan, Brian Griese, the Kubiaks obviously, then went to Minnesota and was with some really great coaches and really great players as well. Everything I do, I just take one day at a time and I think that’s the mantra for myself and what I’ve been able to do over the past couple of years.”

One thing that has helped Darnold win 14-plus games each of the past two seasons — he is the only quarterback in NFL history to do so in consecutive years with different teams — has been a dependable running game.

Aaron Jones rushed for more than 1,000 yards for the Vikings last season and Kenneth Walker III did the same for the Seahawks this year. Darnold never had a back accomplish that feat while with the Jets or the Panthers.

NFL Network analyst Michael Robinson, who won a Super Bowl as a fullback with the Seahawks, suggested Darnold has his own “Ghostbuster” in Walker.

Darnold also praised the Seahawks’ “Dark Side” defense that led the league in fewest points allowed during the regular season.

“Having a really good defense helps a lot,” he said. “It makes those decisions down in the red zone or when you’re in field-goal range a lot easier. I never feel like I have to force the ball.”

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in 2024, got to know Darnold at the Pro Bowl last season.

Maye admires Darnold’s perseverance.

“What a career he’s had,” Maye said on Monday. “… He’s made them pay ever since (other teams moved on).”

–Field Level Media

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SAN JOSE – New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel will be in an exclusive club if he can steer the Patriots to a victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX on Sunday. In fact, Vrabel will be the club’s only member.

A New England win would make Vrabel the only person to win a Super Bowl as a player and as a head coach for the same franchise.

Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls with the Patriots as a linebacker, is in his first season as New England’s head coach. Gary Kubiak is the only other person who reached the Super Bowl with the same team as both a coach and a player; he directed Denver to a 24-10 victory over Carolina in Super Bowl 50, but was winless in three trips to the Super Bowl as a player for the Broncos.

Tom Flores, Mike Ditka, Tony Dungy and Doug Pederson each won a Super Bowl as both a player and a head coach, but none did so with the same team.

To Vrabel, there are just as many similarities as there are obvious differences between playing and coaching in the Super Bowl.

“You have to be focused,” he said. “You have to be locked in and be prepared, and be able to be in a state of mind to do your job and help the football team whether you’re a player or you’re a coach.”

Vrabel is the eighth head coach in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl in his first season with a team. That group includes Kubiak, Jim Caldwell, Jon Gruden, Bill Callahan, George Seifert, Red Miller and Don McCafferty.

The Patriots went 4-13 in each of the last two seasons, but Vrabel guided them to a 14-3 record and an AFC East title in Year 1. That stellar regular season tied the largest single-season improvement by an NFL team (10 games), matching the feat accomplished by the 1999 Colts and 2008 Dolphins.

Adding New England’s three playoff wins to the equation makes it the single greatest turnaround year over year in league history.

“(Vrabel’s) just got a great sense of what’s needed,” Patriots center Garrett Bradbury said earlier this week. “He played, obviously, and at a high level, so he knows the players’ perspective, but he’s not just strictly, like, ‘player’s coach’ because there’s never any doubt who’s in charge. I think the way he’s been all year has just prepared us all to meet this moment, because you can see the vision and the belief, and you know he has your back.”

Vrabel was the Tennessee Titans’ head coach from 2018 to 2023, but was fired after the 2023 season. He worked as a consultant with the Cleveland Browns last season.

“I would tell you that the thing I learned most about last year is that there’s nothing that I want to do more than to coach this football team — that’s what I learned,” Vrabel said. “Being around players is so critical and the connections that you make, and you can’t lose sight of that. No matter how long you’ve been a head coach, finding a way to make connections with players is important.”

The Patriots failed to qualify for the playoffs in four of the last five seasons before this Super Bowl run. A victory Sunday would earn New England its seventh Super Bowl title, which would break a tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the NFL record.

“I’m a little bit more reserved here in this role,” Vrabel said. “A lot more to focus on I think, and think about. Make sure everybody’s moving in the right direction, being where we’re supposed to be. But it’s certainly a unique feeling. I’ve always told our players to play as long as you can. Then you have to get a real job. There’s nothing that beats playing in the National Football League, but this is pretty close.”

–Field Level Media

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